SOCIAL

Who are the top 100 LGBTI executives in business?

A champion of marriage equality in Australia and a professor fighting gay ‘cure’ therapy have topped lists of LGBTI executives.

Openly gay Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has supported the Yes campaign as Australia holds a postal survey on marriage equality. He leads the top 100 LGBTI business executives list.

Joyce said: ‘World leaders and companies have a responsibility to ensure everyone feels they can bring their whole self to work. This will only be possible if people continue to drive LGBT+ inclusion and push for policy change.’

Meanwhile Dinesh Bhugra, President of World Psychiatric Association, heads the list of the top 20 LGBTIs in the public and charity sectors.

His organization has called out people carrying out so-called ‘conversion therapy’ to cure people of being gay and lesbian. Experts worldwide agree this therapy never works and is unethical and dangerous.

Bhugra said: ‘Research has shown that LGBT+ individuals have increased rates of psychological disorders. When the laws around being LGBT+ change, these rates go down. This is no coincidence.’

Trans champion making change

Stuart Barette, who works at HSBC bank, tops the list of 50 future LGBTI business leaders. He is one of the top trans people included in the lists.

Barette said: ‘There are not enough visible trans role models in business, and this is especially the case amongst trans men.

‘I have Asperger Syndrome, a form of high functioning autism, so for me, intersectionality is also important.’

He hopes his inclusion sends a message: ‘Being trans or having a disability is not a barrier to career progression or being able to affect positive change in the world.’

Manchester United enters ally premiership

With football struggling to be more LGBTI inclusive, there’s an interesting ally listed.

Richard Arnold, managing director of Manchester United, is included in the top 50 business allies of the LGBTI community.

Arnold said: ‘To receive this recognition is something of which I’m immensely proud for the whole club.

‘We have dedicated members of staff working on equality issues throughout the organisation and it’s an area which we continue to develop – ensuring we are at the forefront in our thinking and inclusion programmes.’

LGBTI professional membership organization, OUTstanding, created the lists. You can read them in full here.